Chester Borough has its affordable housing plan approved and a redevelopment ordinance moving, but anyone hoping to build there soon should look at the sewer plant first. The Morris County borough received court certification of its Fourth Round affordable housing plan, covering 2025 to 2035, and the Borough Council introduced an ordinance Oct. 20 that would allow up to 27 homes at 280 and 300 Main Street (via Patch).
Certification gives the borough 10 years of protection from exclusionary zoning and builder's remedy lawsuits, according to Mayor Janet Hoven. She said an earlier settlement involving the Larison property took care of the borough's Third Round obligation.
The redevelopment area covers about 4.6 acres: a vacant, wooded lot at 280 Main Street and the borough-owned former municipal building at 300 Main Street. The plan calls for 15 homes at 280 Main, three of them affordable, and 12 at 300 Main, two of them affordable. Most would be detached Craftsman-style bungalows meant to fit the historic character of Main Street, though up to seven units could go into townhouse buildings if site constraints like infrastructure or circulation call for it. The water tower and telecom equipment at 300 Main would stay, with access kept for maintenance.
A separate site at 65 Maple Avenue, near Seminary Avenue, is part of the housing agreement but not this ordinance. It's planned for six homes, one affordable.
Here's the catch. All of it depends on wastewater capacity. Chester Borough's public sewer system is at capacity, which limits new connections. The state Department of Environmental Protection approved a plan for a new sewage treatment plant in May 2025, but design and construction still lie ahead.
The borough's own Housing Element and Fair Share Plan, adopted in June 2025, spells out how tight things are. It says the public system serves only part of the borough, that many homes and businesses rely on private wells, and that Chester has operated under a durational adjustment for more than 25 years because of sewer limits. The plan notes 280 Main Street sits outside the sewer service area and would need an alternative system, 300 Main is inside the service area but has no assigned connection and must wait for the new plant, and 65 Maple Avenue has only one equivalent sewer connection, enough for effectively one unit. The new plant would discharge to surface water, unlike the current plant, which discharges to groundwater.
The plan lists the borough's prospective need at 72 units, as set by the state and the court, and argues it should be adjusted to zero because of the Highlands build-out limits and the sewer constraint.
The Land Use Board will discuss the ordinance at its Nov. 12 meeting, which is open to the public. The Council has scheduled a public hearing and final vote for Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. at the municipal building, 50 North Road. Even after adoption, the projects would still need Land Use Board approvals and have to meet environmental, historic preservation and infrastructure requirements.
Why it matters for Contractors
Twenty-seven bungalow-scale homes on Main Street is exactly the kind of work a small New Jersey builder wants, and townhouses are allowed as a fallback. But this is a long-lead job. Until the new treatment plant is designed and built, or a site finds an alternative system, there's nothing to connect to.
If you build in Morris County, go to the Nov. 12 Land Use Board meeting or the Dec. 15 hearing to hear the details and ask how the borough plans to bring in a builder. Then keep an eye on the sewer plant's progress, because that schedule, not the ordinance, will set when anyone breaks ground.